Oceania Football Center

Micah Lea’alafa: “I continue to work hard and perform well”

Recently, Oceania Football Center confirmed the signing of Solomon Islands national team captain Micah Lea’alafa moved to National Premier League – South Australia’s side FK Beograd. The striker is one of the most important signings of the season for the club, as stated by team head coach Joshua Smith in interview.

Oceania Football Center talked to Lea’alafa about his new challenges in Australia; the player made his debut in Adelaide last weekend in a 2-1 win. Lea’alafa had a very sucessful stint in New Zealand’s top-tier Auckland City and became pro when signed by South Africa’s Maritzburg United: “With my age now, things get harder but the more I continue to work hard and perform well, anything can happen!“, said the 31-year-old player when asked about his possibilities to return to full-professional game anytime soon.

Micah Lea’alafa in his new team kit – *Joshua Smith*

The Solomon Islands duo-international – that also took part in the four editions of the FIFA Futsal World Cup representing his country – had a very good stint last season for Wynnum Wolves what certainly was crucial for FK Beograd’s staff to bring Micah on board: “hopefully this new experience at Beograd can help pave the way for more to come“, said Lea’alafa expecting his new move can attract more interest from overseas clubs to sign South Pacific’s talent.

“It’s all about who you know and who has the heart to help the young talented kids in the Solomon Islands. There is still a long way for Solomons to reach that level“, said a hopeful Micah Lea’alafa om the future of football in his country.

The former Auckland City man is for sure a very important signing for the whole league and can turn into a key figure for his new team. Not only for Beograd’s hopes, Lea’alafa has still a long way to go – to represent his country and to inspire a new generation of footballers, the ones he pave the way.

Fiji FA announces new women’s national team head coach

The search is over; the Fiji Football Association announced today their new head coach for the Kulas – as the women’s national team of Fiji is known. The former Singapore international Angeline Chua has been chosen as the next boss of the women’s football in Fiji.

It was expected an announcement soon from the FA as a lot of rumours were around the choice: “She will be guiding all age groups, national women’s teams, and also the national team to the South Pacific Games“, said Fiji FA’s president Rajesh Patel in a social media release.

Chua has experience of coaching back her country in age group teams and national team; this will be second experience of the 34-year-old coach in front of a national team. His previous experience was in Seychelles where she achieved impressive records. “She revitalised women’s football in Seychelles, putting together a team that was able to be competitive in the matches played since she took over. Under her leadership, Seychelles had its first competitive win last year since 2015, by defeating the Maldives in February 2022“, said Fiji FA Media.

Certainly, the biggest challenge of Chua in the year will be guiding Fiji into a competitive campaign at the upcoming Pacific Games to be hosted at the end of the year in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

PNG Football Association technical director steps down amid U-17 national team blunder allegations

Two nations did not take part in the most recent OFC U-17 Championship played in Fiji; Solomon Islands were penalised after fielding an overaged played in the previous edition of the tournament and did not take part of the tournament and Papua New Guinea, somehow, missed the window to send its own players’ selection to Oceania Football Confederation – losing so the opportunity to take part of the tournament. The competition that ended up this February giving New Zealand and New Caledonia two spots to the U-17 World Cup to be played still this year in Peru.

According multiple sources, the Technical Director of PNG Football Association, Paul Isorua, was the responsible for the unimaginable mistake – he stepped down from his position recently. Isorua, that worked alongside PNGFA’s president John Kappi-Nato for a reasonable period resigned his spot after massive pressure faced after the Papua New Guinea’s age group team did not have a chance to travel Fiji to participate in the competition.

Alongside Isorua, the now former General Secretary of the entity Pius Letenge also resigned – thus, Letenge alleged medical conditions to leave the position. It’s understood the governing body already decided who will replace Isorua; PNGFA is set to have a conferece this week in Madang.

Not only local fans gave voice to their frustration; even well-known members of the football community expressed insatisfaction with the amateur mistake: “It therefore saddens me to see the PNG flag not flying at the tournament. An opportunity that will be sorely missed by our budding youth in the country. The tournament also provides a metric to measure ourselves in the region and also provides some incentive for future players.In saying so, I cant emphasize enough that there must be some drastic intervention or inquiry into what went wrong and how we can make sure that such a tournament if not any tournament is not missed again“, said Papua New Guinea national team captain, Alwin Komolong about the case in a social media statement.

Papua New Guinea relies on its FA – as every country does – to develop its football. Oceania is a place where the local federations must do a big part of the role through the development of the game as the vast majority of the clubs are not full-professional. It is always important to give emphasis that the organisation within the governing body must be transparent and with know-how in the respective areas.

Fijian international Anish Khem moves to Australia

Fijian international defender Anish Khem has made a move to Australia’s Victoria State League 3 side Frankston Pines, which is sure to generate a lot of interest amongst football fans in the region. Khem, who has previously played for Rewa and Suva, joined the club earlier this month and is expected to make a significant contribution to the team. Khem’s move to Frankston Pines is the latest in a string of transfers of Fijian players to the club.

Khem has already represented Fiji three times internationally, including in the last FIFA OFC World Cup qualifying tournament – Fiji was knocked out in the group stage of the qualifiers.

The defender is also an Olympian; he played for Fiji in the men’s football tournament at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, which is considered one of the biggest feats in Fijian football history. This experience is sure to benefit Frankston Pines, who will be eager to take advantage of Khem’s skills and knowledge.

Overall, Anish Khem’s move to Frankston Pines is a significant development for both the player and the club. It represents an exciting opportunity for Khem to showcase his talents in a new environment, while also providing Frankston Pines with an experienced player who can help them achieve their goals on the field.

Vanuatu announces 22-men squad for international friendly matches in Fiji

Vanuatu’s national football team head coach, Etienne Mermer, has announced his call-up of 22 players for the upcoming friendly matches in Fiji. The team will play against the Fiji national team, the Solomon Islands, and the Fiji U-20 squad, which is preparing for the U-20 World Cup.

Unfortunately, some players will not be able to join the squad due to their club commitments. The Central Coast Mariners’ Brian Kaltak will be focused on completing the A-League season in Australia, while Jared Clark and Mitch Cooper may also be absent for similar reasons. Additionally, Solomon Warriors’ star player, John Alick, will also miss out on the games. You can check the full squad by clicking here.

Soromon, Thomas, Kalotang and Wohale, some of the Vanuatu stars in the squad

Despite these absences, the squad has some notable players, with Ifira Black Bird being the most represented team with nine players, including Tonly Kalotang, Godine Tenene, and John Wohale. Two players, Toata Bill of Wings FC from Tanna and Yannick Tari of Sia Raga from Luganville, are not currently based in Port Vila, aside from the three players based in Fiji – Claude Aru from Ba, and Suva duo Azariah Soromon and Alex Saniel.

The friendly matches will take place in March in Lautoka, Fiji – starting on 20th Mar and finishing on 26th Mar. This call-up provides an excellent opportunity for Vanuatu’s national team to showcase their skills and build on their success.

Solomon Warriors secures OFC Champions League spot after hard-fought win over Kossa

In an exciting match held at the Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara, the Solomon Warriors secured their place in the OFC Champions League group stage with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Kossa in the national play-off. The match was full of drama and tension, with both sides giving it their all in a bid to secure a spot in the prestigious tournament.

Kossa started the match strongly and took the lead in the 20th minute through a well-taken goal by Timothy Bakale. The Warriors, however, didn’t let their heads drop and fought back strongly. They equalized before the end of the first half through a goal by Dennis Ifuanoa, which ensured that the sides went into the break level at 1-1.

The second half saw both teams pushing hard for a winning goal, with the game becoming increasingly tense as time went on. It was the Warriors who finally found the breakthrough in the 64th minute when Harrison Mala scored what proved to be the winning goal of the match.

Solomon Warriors players celebrate one of their goals – *TSL Media*

Despite a valiant effort from Kossa, the Warriors managed to hold on to their lead and secure the victory that would see them qualify for the OFC Champions League group stage. The team, coached by Franco Ne’e, put in a strong performance and showed great determination and resilience throughout the match. You can watch the highlights of the match by clicking here.

Kossa, who were coached by Eddie Marahare, will be disappointed to have missed out on a spot in the tournament. However, they can take heart from the fact that they gave the Warriors a tough challenge and pushed them all the way.

The Warriors will now look forward to the OFC Champions League group stage, which is set to take place in May in Vanuatu. They will be hoping to carry their impressive form into the tournament and make a strong challenge in the regional tournament after securing once again the national title back in Solomon Islands.

OFC Champions League: Decisive match ahead for Solomon Warriors and Kossa at Lawson Tama

It can go for either side: Solomon Warriors, the national champions of Solomon Islands, can be seen as favourites to represent the country at the upcoming OFC Champions League this may in Vanuatu; but Kossa, led by Telekom S-League top-scorer Gagame Feni, definitely will not let the team coached by Franco Ne’e have an easy deal.

Last week Kossa managed to score first through Feni, but could not defend their lead in the second half conceding a goal scored by the defender Aengari Gagame. The decisive clash will this Tuesday (28th Feb) at Lawson Tama Stadium. A winner will need to come out; Kossa fights to return to the most important club football tournament of the region after several years of absence, while Warriors, that have a rich history in the tournament, will rely on the experience of players such as John Alick and Dennis Ifunaoa to emerge victorious against a brave Kossa side.

Warriors and Kossa clash last week – *TSL Media*

The team coached by Eddie Marahare also count on experienced players, not only the Solomon Islands international and formar Suva man Gagame Feni; another internationals such as Molis Junior Gagame and Joses Nawo. The match might be one of the closest contests for a berth at the OFC Champions League group stage from all national play-offs across Oceania; the fans in Solomon Islands might be ready for an impressive clash.

Vanuatu: Galaxy takes the lead of the PVFA Premier League

In a thrilling match on the weekend, Galaxy FC managed to clinch a crucial 1-0 victory over Erakor Golden Star, propelling them to the top of the PVFA Premier League table. The former Vanuatu national champions showed their mettle as they played an attacking brand of football, pressing hard and creating numerous scoring opportunities.

However, their lead at the top is not yet secure, as Ifira Black Bird, who are currently in second place, still have two matches in hand. Ifira Black Bird were recently involved in the OFC Champions League national play-off, which they managed to win, thus earning a spot in the main stage of the competition.

In other matches over the weekend, Tafea and Seveners United played out a goalless draw, while Tupuji Imere emerged as convincing 4-1 winners over Mauwia. Shepherds United secured a narrow 2-1 victory over North Efate United, and iCount Yatel registered another win, this time defeating Mauriki 1-0 thanks to an early goal scored by Barry Mansale. You can check the updated table of the league by clicking here.

As the PVFA Premier League reaches its second round soon, the battle for the top spot promises to be an exciting one, with the top teams all vying for the coveted title. With plenty of matches still to be played, fans can look forward to some thrilling football in the coming weeks as the teams fight it out for the top honours.

Digicel Fiji Premier League kicks-off with four matches

The most important football leage of Fiji has started this weekend throught the country; the only teams to not kick-off the league on this date were Suva and Rewa that c ontested a spot at OFC Champions League at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva that ended up with a 2-1 victory of the local team.

The other eight teams of the Digicel Fiji Premier League took the field to finally start the season after the postponement of the last week. One of the four matches ended up with a 0-0 draw, on Saturday (25th Feb) Ba and Navua could not score any goals in their encounter. Also on Saturday the Fijian international Sairusi Nalaubu started the season on a high striking three times for his side Lautoka to beat Labasa by 3-0.

Tailevu Naitasiri squad before their match against Tavua – *Tailevu Naitasiri Media*

On Sunday Tailevu Naitasairi celebrated a win over Tavua FC thanks to goals scored on the second half by Mosese Nabose and Prashant Chand. Nadi did not face difficulties as they beat Nadroga at Lawaqa Park by 3-1; goals were scored by Eshan Kumar, Vuniuci Tikomaimereke and Ame Votoniu.

The second matchweek will take place next weekend in Fiji; the top-two teams of the last season, Rewa and Suva respectively, will kick-off their season while the remaining squads will look ahead on building from their second match in the league season.

Brian Kaltak to face two-match ban after 3rd red card of the A-League season

Vanuatu international Brian Kaltak saw his third red card of the season last weekend in a match against Wellington Phoenix that ended up in a 1-1 draw. Kaltak is the only player of the 2022/23 A-League season to record three red cards so far. After serving one match-ban after his previous two red cards, Kaltak is now going to miss the upcoming two matches of the Central Coast Mariners in the competition. – as A-League regulations state. The club can still appeal against the decision and reduce the suspension for the defender; which they already tried before when Kaltak saw a questionable red card agains Sydney FC, but it is unlilkey the decision will go their side, as it was in the previous case.

The defender, that reccently penned a new contract for the team, turned rapidly into a fan favourite in Gosford – being nicknamed the ‘Brick Wall”. Despite seeing three reds – one last November against Macarthur, and two most recently against Sydney and Phoenix – Kaltak is still one of the top-performers of Mariners that are currently ranked second in the A-League’a ladder.

Kaltak’s not being seen as the guilty party by the Mariners fans; his previous two red cards are definitely very questionable; against Syndey he was was sent-off as the referee understood he denied a clear goalscoring chance to the opposition side. Last weekend in Gosford, Kaltak tackled Phoniex’s David Ball and touched the ball first before sliding it touching the player. Both decisions were seen to be taken very harshly on the defender.

The next two matches for the Mariners are against Western Sydney Wanderers and Macarthur; the fans expect that, somehow, the team can appeal against the latest red card and count on Brian Kaltak presence on at least one of the following matches.